TAMPA – Carlton Fields Tampa shareholder C. Douglas McDonald has been appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to be Special Master to confirm compliance by Dish Network of the terms of the Satellite Television and Localism Act of 2010 (STELA), which revised portions of the Copyright Laws (17 USC) and the Federal Communication Laws (47 USC).

This is a result of the long-running litigation in the Southern District of Florida between the four major television broadcast network plaintiffs (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC) and the defendant, Echostar/Dish Network, over re-broadcast of the network signals, in which Dish was permanently enjoined from such rebroadcast except under a license agreed to by the networks. The license requirements have been enshrined in STELA, and Dish must be certified to be in compliance with its requirements to obtain renewal of that license. The attorneys for both the plaintiffs and the defendant contacted McDonald to say that, after investigating a number of recommended attorneys, both sides selected him to serve as the Special Master and, with his and Carlton Fields’ agreement, requested his appointment by the Southern District. This is a significant honor and recognition for both McDonald and for Carlton Fields.

McDonald is one of the first attorneys to be Board Certified in Intellectual Property Law in the United States. He is recognized by the Legal 500 as a leading lawyer in Intellectual Property Law, named to The Best Lawyers in America, and to Florida Super Lawyers. McDonald concentrates his practice in the area of intellectual property law, including prosecuting patent, trademark, and copyright applications both in the U.S. and internationally, and licensing and protection of those properties. He has led litigation of numerous patent, trademark, and copyright matters. In addition, McDonald is a Certified Federal Court Mediator. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, his M.B.A. from Stanford University, and his B.S., with honors, in Mechanical Engineering, from Southern Methodist University.